Background
In the early 1900s, 7th Street was the center of Black jazz and blues culture in the Bay Area – lined with supper clubs and bisected by a streetcar line leading to the Oakland freight and ferry terminal. Since then, 7th Street has seen decades of upheaval by large infrastructure projects, namely the overhead BART trackway, the Oakland Main Post Office, and the Cypress Freeway. Today, 7th Street has wide lanes and high-speed traffic, rail tracks and uneven pavement, and sidewalks overgrown by weeds.
Project Scope
The 7th Street Connection Project is an effort to improve 7th Street to better serve those who travel on it. This project will make improvements recommended by the “Let’s Bike Oakland” 2019 Bike Plan, the West Oakland Community Action Plan, and the West Oakland Specific Plan.
The project aims to reconnect West Oakland and Downtown, create safer and more comfortable ways to travel for those walking, rolling, and taking the bus, improve air quality, and reflect the rich history of 7th Street. Improvements may include:
- Providing an all-ages bicycling connection to Downtown that is fully separated from vehicle traffic
- Constructing bus boarding islands and queue jump lanes to improve transit access and reliability
- Installing fiber cable connectivity to improve signal coordination and expand OAK WiFi, a program that provides free internet to Oaklanders to help close the digital divide.
- Shortening pedestrian crossings and installing other crosswalk improvements to improve safety
- Upgrading traffic signals and potentially installing new signals to enhance safety and reduce truck idling and emissions
- Installing improved pedestrian lighting for increased visibility
- Planting maximum carbon and particulate matter-capturing street trees and landscaping in an effort to address air quality disparities
- Widening sidewalks to increase pedestrian comfort and capacity
- Working with the community to provide artistic, cultural, and place-making elements that highlight 7th Street’s history
The City of Oakland was successful in winning $14.1 million in Active Transportation Program (ATP) funds to complete design and construction of the 7th Street Connection Project! The Oakland Department of Transportation has secured consultant support for design and community outreach activities, which will begin in mid-2023. The estimated start date for construction of this project is Spring 2025.
The City of Oakland Department of Transportation is excited to speak with the community about the opportunity to re-imagine 7th Street as both a great street for getting around and as a place for reflecting on the history of West Oakland. Please check back as this page will be updated with upcoming opportunities for public input and comment.
Building on previous engagement and planning, Oakland Department of Transportation conducted outreach in the West Oakland community in 2020 as part of the ATP grant application. List of past meetings:
- July 9, 2020 - Meeting with As-Salam Mosque
- July 20, 2020 - Presentation to the Howard Terminal CBA Working Group, Transportation Cohort
- July 29, 2020 - Presentation to the West Oakland Community Action Plan, Transit/Bike/Walk Subcommittee
- August 3, 2020 - Presentation to the Oak Center Neighborhood Association
- August 6, 2020 - Presentation to the OPD Beat 2X/5X NCPC group
- August 13, 2020 - Presentation to the Prescott/S Prescott Neighborhood Association
- August 20, 2020 - Presentation to the West Oakland Neighbors Association
This list will be updated with upcoming events once the project launches.
For questions, please email us at mpd@oaklandca.gov
